Power Quality Device Having Communication Interface

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods provide power quality devices that include a communication interface to establish communications with the computer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/950,889, filed Nov. 19, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The systems and methods described herein relate to power quality devices (i.e. surge protection devices (SPD) and power distribution units (PDU)) that are used to protect connected equipment from AC mains disturbances such as transients and EMI. In particular, the systems and methods relate to power quality devices that include a microcontroller or microprocessor and a serial communication interface (SCI) for connection of the power quality device to a computer. The SCI is typically used to transfer device status (i.e. outlet status) and recorded event history to the computer and to transfer device control parameters from computer to power quality device.

BACKGROUND

Power quality devices are, typically, designed to be as small as possible. Rack mounted devices, for instance, are typically restricted to one rack unit to occupy as little space in the equipment rack as possible. Cord connected devices are also limited in size as they are often placed or mounted in a restricted space behind the equipment that they are protecting.

SPDs and PDUs are usually designed to protect a system of equipment and, as such, usually contain several AC receptacles. In addition to the AC receptacles, cord connected devices also have an AC input power cord, and may include a switch, over-current protection (i.e. panel mounted fuse or circuit breaker) diagnostic indicators and display.

In addition to protecting connected equipment from AC mains transients and EMI, many SPDs and PDUs also include circuitry to protect connected equipment from telephone (modem/fax protection) and Ethernet transients. For each of these circuits a pair of connectors (i.e. modular jacks) is required; one for connection of device to wall outlet and the other for connection of device to protected equipment. For devices that include both telephone and Ethernet protection, four connectors and four additional enclosure openings are required.

Prior art power quality devices that include a serial communication interface use some type of dedicated connector (i.e. modular jack, D-sub, etc) for serial communications. This dedicated connector requires an additional opening in the device enclosure and adds components to the overall design.

With the desire to keep the power quality device as small as possible, suitable space for enclosure openings is limited. The addition of a dedicated connector for serial communications often comes at the expense of some other desirable component (i.e. additional AC receptacle, switch, etc.).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The devices described include, inter alia, a cord-connected hybrid filter that protects connected equipment from various AC mains disturbances and includes an AC input power cord, one or more AC receptacles as well as optional diagnostic indicators, display and momentary switch. In addition to protection against AC mains disturbances, the device may include circuits that protect connected equipment from telephone/modem/fax and Ethernet transients and, therefore, contain a pair of modular jacks for telephone connection and another pair of modular jacks for Ethernet connection.

In addition to the above circuits, components and connections, the devices described herein have an optional serial communication interface (SCI) for connection to/communication with a computer. Instead of adding an additional connector for dedicated use as a serial communication port, the serial interface uses unused pins one of the device telephone modular jacks. In this way, the devices eliminate the need for the additional dedicated serial communication port connector and leaves room for additional desired components (i.e. additional AC receptacle, diagnostic indicator, switch, display, etc).

More particularly, the systems and methods described herein include cord connected micro-controller based hybrid filters for the suppression of power line transients and EMI and the protection of connected equipment, comprising a telephone/fax/modem circuit for the suppression of telephone transients having a 6-pin telephone jack for connection of device to wall outlet, and a 6-pin telephone jack for connection of device to protected equipment the micro-controller containing a serial communication interface for communication with a computer or other devices, wherein the serial communication interface employs unused pins of one of the telephone jacks for connection to and communication with said computer.

In alternative embodiments, the invention provides systems and methods of manufacturing systems that include a cord connected power conditioning system having an input power cord for connection to an AC power source, a power outlet and a telephone jack connector having six connector pins. The system further includes a communication interface that is capable of transferring data, such as recorded events, status information or other data, to a remote processor. The communication interface connects to at least two of the connector pins in the telephone jack connector, where the two connector pins used by the communication interface are unused by telephone equipment. Optionally, the cord connected power conditioning system may have an RJ-11 connector jack, but any suitable connector jack may be employed. The two connector pins used by the communication interface carry a receive line and a transmit line for a serial interface. The cord connected power conditioning system may have a communication device, such as a microprocessor with a serial communication port, that may act as a transmitter or receiver for generating, detecting and processing serial communication signals on the at least two connector pins and for processing the signals to exchange data with a remote interface device, such as a laptop computer, a hand held computer, or any other suitable remote interface device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will be appreciated more fully from the following further description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein;

FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a cord connected power protection system;

FIG. 2A depicts the front panel of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B depicts the back panel of the device of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 depicts a functional block diagram of one cord connected power protection system having a communication interface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

To provide an overall understanding of the invention, certain illustrative embodiments will now be described. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the systems and methods described herein can be adapted and modified for other suitable applications and that such other additions and modifications will not depart from the scope hereof.

FIG. 1 is a 3-D drawing of one embodiment of a device of the type described herein. The illustrated device 10 is a cord-connected hybrid filter combination surge suppressor and filter which suppresses power mains transients and EMI thereby protecting sensitive connected equipment. The hybrid filter circuitry includes a microcontroller and associated circuits which, among other things, are used to record the occurrence of various power quality disturbances (i.e. over voltage, under voltage, power outage and transient events). In addition to protecting connected equipment against such power mains disturbances, the device 10 also may include circuitry to protect connected equipment from Ethernet and telephone/modem/fax transients. The microcontroller contains a serial communication interface which allows for facile connection for communication with a computer. Connection of the device 10 to a computer allows for transfer of recorded event data and other device status to the computer for storage and analysis. In addition to transfer of data from device 10 to computer, the serial communication interface also allows for transfer of device control parameters from a remote computer to the onboard microcontroller. These control parameters may be used for such things as switching on/off power to device output receptacles.

More particularly, FIG. 1 illustrates a device 10 that has a 4-piece enclosure (lid, base and two end plates (with the back plate shown in FIG. 2B)) that contains the device circuit board and board mounted components as well as various end-plate accessible components.

The end plate 16 shown in FIG. 2B, includes an AC input power cord 14 to enable connection of the device 10 to a branch circuit outlet and one or more AC receptacles 21 for connection of device 10 to protected equipment. In addition, this endplate 16 also has openings for a pair of diagnostic indicators 17A and 17B; 17A indicates the presence of supply voltage at device output receptacles and the 17B indicates the existence of a wiring fault in the branch circuit outlet to which the device 10 is connected. FIG. 1 also depicts that device 10 includes an output power cord plug/receptacle 12.

The front plate shown in FIG. 2A, contains four modular jacks (2×8-pin modular jacks associated with Ethernet circuitry and 2×6-pin modular jacks associated with telephone circuitry), thus providing two computer network connectors 22, such as CAT-5 or CAT-6 network connectors and two telephone connectors 20, such as RJ-11 connectors. In addition to the modular jacks, this end plate also contains a display (LCD) 18 and a switch 19. Among other things, the switch 19 is used to signal the microcontroller to turn on and off power to the device output receptacles and connected equipment. The depicted LCD display 18 is controlled by the microcontroller and is used to display recorded event data and device operational status. The microcontroller and associated circuits (shown in FIG. 3) are used to, among other things, record the occurrence of various power quality disturbances (i.e. over voltage, under voltage, power outage and transient events). As will be explained with reference to FIG. 3, the microcontroller may contain or operate the serial communication interface which allows for connection and communication with a remote computer, such as a laptop, a handheld device, a network station, or some other suitable device. Connection of the device 10 to a remote computer allows for transfer of recorded event data and other device status to the remote computer for storage and analysis. In addition to transfer of data from the device 10 to the remote computer, the serial communication interface, in certain optional embodiments, is bi-directional and allows for transfer of device control parameters or other data from the remote computer to the device 10. These control parameters can be used for such things as switching on/off power to device output receptacles.

More particularly, FIG. 2A shows the telephone connectors 20 as providing two ports, and input port 24 and an output port 28, and the network port 22 as having an input port 30 and an output port 32. In the depicted embodiment, the ports are conventional connection ports of the type typically used for connecting to telephone and Ethernet network wiring. The ports allow for easy coupling of the device 10 to the telephone and computer network wiring, giving ease of use and facile connecting for the technician that is setting up the device 10.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram/schematic of an embodiment of the device 10. The input connections, labeled, “line”, “neutral” and “gnd” are connected to the device AC input power cord and the output connections labeled, “line”, “neutral” and “gnd” are connected to one or more device output receptacles. Between these connections is a hybrid filter that is used to protect connected equipment from power mains disturbances such as transients and EMI. Also shown is the microcontroller and on-board Serial Communication Interface (SCI) for connection to/communication with a computer. As described earlier, this communication interface is used to transfer recorded event data and device status to the computer for storage and analysis. In addition, device control parameters can be transferred from computer to the device.

FIG. 3 illustrates that instead of using a dedicated communication interface connector, the device 10 employs the outside 4 pins of one of the telephone/modem/fax circuitry modular jacks for connection to a computer. The telephone modular jacks shown in FIG. 3 are the standard 6-pin variety. For single pair telephone protection (one tip/ring pair), however, only two pins are required in the telephone circuitry. The microcontroller designates two pins for serial communications: transmit (TX) and receive (RX). In addition to these pins, the following pins are often included in the serial communication interface as they allow for powering of the microcontroller from the computer: Vdd (positive supply) and Vss (ground reference).

More particularly, FIG. 3 depicts a functional block diagram 34 of one embodiment of a circuit suitable for use in the cord power protection device 10. Specifically, FIG. 3 depicts a functional block diagram that includes an input section 36, an output section 38 and a circuit system 51 that sits between the input 36 and output 38. The input section 36 connections, labeled, “line”, “neutral” and “gnd” are connected to the AC power cord 14 and the output section 38 connections labeled, “line”, “neutral” and “gnd” are connected to one or more output receptacles (not shown) and the outlet cord 12. Between these connections is a circuit system 51 that includes a hybrid filter 52, a microcontroller 112 having a serial communication interface 54, and a telephone circuit 56. The hybrid filter 52 is used to protect connected equipment from power mains disturbances such as transients and EMI. Also shown is a microcontroller 112 that monitors certain inputs and generates certain outputs to control operation of the device 10, including sensing and recording storing power events. The depicted microcontroller 112 has an on-board serial communication interface (SCI) 56 for connection to/communication with a remote computer. The microcontroller 112 may be any suitable logic device and in one embodiment is the PIC16F1933 or PIC16F1936. In this embodiment, the microcontroller has a built-in serial interface with transmit and receive pins, as shown in FIG. 3. However, in other embodiments, the serial interface may be driven by a separate chip, typically at UART chip, that connects to the microcontroller 112 and operates under the control of the microcontroller 112. In either case, the device 10 can include a serial communication circuit that is suitable for the present operations. As described earlier, this communication interface 54 is used to transfer recorded event data and device status to a remote computer for storage and analysis. In addition, device control parameters can be transferred from a remote computer to the device 10. As can be seen from a review of FIG. 3, the device 10 provides a hardware connector for the serial communication interface 54 by employing two pins of the modular jack 58, and optionally four pins. Thus, instead of using a dedicated communication interface connector, the device 10 uses the outside four pins of one of the telephone/modem/fax circuitry modular jacks 24 and 28 (as shown in FIG. 2A) to provide an electro-mechanical connector. The modular jack 58 shown in FIG. 3 is schematically presented and represents the standard 6-pin telephone jack variety. However, any suitable jack can be used and typically the jack is a registered jack (RJ) having a standardized physical network interface structure for both jack construction and wiring pattern. Typically, the jack is an RJ11, however, other connectors and their wiring may be used such as connectors RJ14, RJ21, and RJ48, or similar.

As also shown in FIG. 3, for single pair telephone protection there is one tip/ring pair, and only two pins of the jack 58 are required in the telephone circuitry. Thus, the input jack 46 can couple to a wall jack that carries the telephone network. At that input jack 46, only two of the six available pins are used as a tip/ring pair, shown as lines 100 and 102 respectively. These two pins couple the tip/ring pair to the telephone circuitry 47 that is a protection circuit for the phone line. The output of that circuit 47 couples the now protected phone line tip/ring pair 106 and 108 to the output modular jack 58. As depicted in FIG. 3, these two protected lines 106 and 108 connect to two of the six pins available through jack 58.

As also shown, the depicted serial communications interface 54 requires the use of two lines, receive line 110 and transmit line 112. These lines 110 and 112, along with power and ground, 114 and 116 respectively, couple from the microcontroller pins, transmit (TX), receive (RX), Vdd (positive supply), and Vss (ground reference). Thus, because the telephone circuit only uses two of the six modular jack pins, the four unused pins of one of the telephone/modem/fax modular jacks may be used as the serial communication interface port. In the depicted embodiment, there is no dedicated special termination circuitry.

Optionally, Tx/Rx may be terminated at the appropriate microcontroller (PIC) inputs, and may be protected by two 4.7V Zener diodes to ground. The cable end that plugs into the jack 58 for purpose of communication may be terminated with an appropriate connector, such as a 6-position RJ-11 male connector, with four positions loaded. Other termination schemes can be used depending upon the length of the cable used and the type of remote computer being connected.

The above discussed embodiments are merely examples of the systems and methods of the invention and are not to be understood as limiting in any way. As such, the invention is not to be so limited and those skilled in the art will know or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the embodiments and practices described herein. Accordingly, it will be understood that the invention is to be understood from the following claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as allowed under the law. 

1. A cord connected micro-controller based hybrid filter for the suppression of power line transients and EMI and the protection of connected equipment, comprising a telephone/fax/modem circuit for the suppression of telephone transients having a 6-pin telephone jack for connection of device to wall outlet, and a 6-pin telephone jack for connection of device to protected equipment said micro-controller containing a serial communication interface for communication with a computer or other devices, wherein said serial communication interface employs unused pins of one of the telephone jacks for connection to and communication with said computer.
 2. A cord connected power conditioning system, having input power cord for connection to an AC power source, a power outlet and a telephone jack connector having six connector pins, and a communication interface capable of transferring recorded events to a remote processor, the communication interface having a connection to at least two of the connector pins in the telephone jack connector, wherein the two connector pins are unused by telephone equipment.
 3. The cord connected power conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the telephone jack connector is an RJ-11 connector.
 4. The cord connected power conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the at least two connector pins carry a receive line and a transmit line for a serial interface.
 5. The cord connected power conditioning system of claim 1, further comprising a receiver for detecting and processing serial communication signals on the at least two connector pins and for processing the signals to receive data from a remote interface device. 